Seven Moments
by pseudonimous
Summary: Seven moments when a girl happens upon Kiyoshi Teppei, Seirin's ex-center - a boy with a crinkly eye-smile and a kind heart. These seven moments, found between practices, accidental Maji Burger dates, and a couple of basketball games, were enough to reveal to her the depth behind Seirin's Iron Heart. [Kiyoshi Teppei x OC]
1. First Encounter

**_[tuesday, before school, seirin high school]_**

Everything in Japan was just plain weird - the scene, the food, even the people.

Moving back to my home country seven years after we had moved to the States was a vast change, a change that I knew I wasn't going to particularly enjoy.

It was just the second day of school, yet, as I approached Seirin High School's gates with my younger brother beside me, the commotion of the students were louder than yesterday's. "Weird," I muttered to myself, putting down the light novel I was reading on the way to school inside my book bag.

Inside the school's gates, there were mobs of students from both sides of the campus sitting behind tables, waving signs, and even demonstrating to curious underclassmen the purpose of each of their individual clubs.

"Ah, so is this Club Rush onee-chan?" my first-year brother, Kita Ryuki asked, eyes wide in amazement at this new world called high school.

"Ne. Ryuki, you can find your class by yourself, right? I'll go get some snacks from the vending machine. I'm not going to join any clubs this year," I said, fishing my novel from my book bag and continued to read it through the crowd.

"Onee-chan, you HAVE to join a club! You basically have no friends and refused to make contact with people since we came... Come on!"

After a couple minutes of eye-rolling and Ryuki getting hit on the head twice by my novel, I had agreed to accompany him to the basketball club's table, which was gaining quite a lot of attention. Thanks to Ryuki's height (185 cm compared to my puny 161 cm), we managed to push our way through the crowd to the front of the table, where a brown short-haired girl sat next to a (pissed-off looking) megane guy with black hair.

"We don't have a girls' basketball club here," the girl said lazily, twirling her pen while glancing at the crowd behind us.

"Oh! No, this isn't for me. I'm just here for my brother," I motioned to my towering younger brother who smiled at the girl and placed his right hand on my head. I scowled; I was NOT in the mood for his shenanigans today.

"Ryuki, get your hand OFF me!" I whispered angrily at him, as the baka began to fill out the extracurricular form with his left hand.

"There's no need to be angry, onee-chan! This is the first time you've actually responded to someone in a full length sentence since we came back," my baka brother continued to provoke me, as he proceeded to ruffle my long black hair, making it frizzier than it already is.

"That's right!" Ryuki and I both turned our attention to the front of the table, where a tall, brown haired young man was ruffling the pissed-off megane's hair. "There's no need to look consistently pissed off like Hyuuga here!"

Hyuuga, the megane, turned around and tried to slap the tall boy's hands off his head, but to no avail. "Urusei, Kiyoshi!"

The short-haired girl, aware of the commotion next to her, simply took out a concealed paper fan and slapped both boys with it. She nonchalantly looked up at Ryuki and said, "The placement test for first-years will be this Thursday, after school. Make sure to come in sports clothes and bring water!"

Then, the girl did something extremely unexpected. She extended her hand towards me. "Aida Riko. I sit behind you in class - you can come to your brother's placement if you want!"

I awkwardly took her hand and cursed myself at being socially handicapped; well, in Japan at least. "Thanks Riko. I mean, Riko-chan. Sorry," I proceeded to mumble and make a fool out of myself.

Riko waved me and my brother away with her paper fan, "No problem! I'll see you in class."

A minute later, after dodging through the growing basketball club crowd, Ryuki nudged me in the shoulder with his elbow. "Seems like you made a friend, eh?"

I could only pick up my book and pretend to scowl at him. God, I'm such a tsundere.

 ** _[thursday, after school, seirin high school's gym]_**

I trudged into the gym after school, scanning my eyes around to find Ryuki. He had wanted me to bring him some water, since he had forgotten to bring money to buy some from the vending machines. What a baka.

I was hoping to commit a run-and-gun style of giving him his water, since I didn't want Riko to force me to stay and watch their placement test. Believe me, it wasn't as if I didn't have any interest in basketball, it was just that watching sweaty first-year boys run in a gym wasn't my sort of "fun", even if I was in Japan.

"Emiko-chan!" I winced as I heard my name being shrieked across the gym by none other than Aida Riko. "It seems like you came," she said, eyes twinkling, with one hand holding a clipboard and the other around my shoulder, holding a half-folded paper fan.

"Ne," I smiled weakly, awkwardly hugging her back.

"You see, I saw that Ryuki-kun was pissing you off a couple of mornings ago on Club Rush. I invited you to see if you wanted to get him back," Riko whispered next to my ear, as my lips stretched into a Cheshire-like grin. It was nice having a wingwoman again.

Riko had told me to make myself comfortable on the team benches, but since the old team members were so close by stretching, I didn't want to create an awkward scene for myself, so I just sat down at the bottom of the bleachers.

A couple of feet away, there was the tall, brown-haired guy I had seen on Club Rush, intently watching the prospective players. He was clad in the Seirin uniform without his jacket, not wearing any practice clothes as the other old team members were.

As if he could sense you observing him, the guy glanced at your direction and gave you a small half-smile. "Oh shit, oh shit... This is why you should NEVER stare at strangers," I mentally blamed myself.

He got up from where he was sitting ("Oh SHIT, I hope he's not walking over - OH SHIT!") and headed towards where Riko was standing, now in front of two rows of around fifteen shirtless boys. She called out their individual names, and they stepped forward, blushing under her observing eyes.

The tall boy was whispering in Riko's ear and pointed to a name on the sheet. "Kita Ryuki," Riko commanded, and I stifled a snort when my gangly brother stepped out from the second row. Sure, he was tall, like REAL tall for a Japanese kid back in the States, but he just looked like a skeleton with skin packed together compared to the other boys.

Apparently, Riko thought the same. I swear she turned her head back at me before she said to Ryuki, "20 push-ups, count them out loud." I had to resist the urge of taking out my cellphone and recording this glorious moment.

Too wrapped up in my sadistic joy, I didn't notice that the tall boy was making his way towards me, until his shadow covered one of the gym lights that had illuminated my view.

"Hey," I awkwardly said, as the giant (yes, he was a literal giant) sat down next to me.

"Is that your brother over there?" he motioned to the figure of Ryuki on his tenth push-up.

"Yep, the baka," I said, immediately forgetting my polite filter. I hoped my hair covered my blush as I felt the heat rise in the back of my neck as the stranger made direct eye contact with me.

"I'm Kiyoshi Teppei, but you can call me Teppei, or whatever you like since we're the same age." He had a large hand extended towards me, and I felt like a little kid when my slender hands grasped his in what I hoped to be a firm handshake.

"I'm Kita Emiko, and please call me Emiko," I responded. I was at the breaking point of the conversation, usually where people left me when they figured I was so socially inept after I introduced myself. And so, I blurted out, "Why aren't you in your practice clothes?"

"Oh," he looked rather taken aback at this question. "I injured myself after playing in last year's season, and I'm still in rehab, so I can't really play for awhile." Teppei responded, his hand scratching his head nervously.

"Oh, that sucks," I tried to sympathize, but I really had no idea how to continue the conversation.

As if he could sense my unease, he asked, "Did you just move here recently?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I just did. From the States actually, but I was born here so adapting to the language really isn't that hard." I motioned to a book I had recently checked out from the school library. "I've been reading Japanese novels since we moved here in the summer, so I've become more fluent."

Teppei glanced at the book in my hand and lifted the cover to glance at the author. "Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami?" He chuckled, and his eyes crinkled up adorably. "It's a bit challenging you know, even for many people who have lived here their whole lives."

"I know,"I responded, "I like challenges."

I glanced down at the book that I was holding, and I could swear for a minute that Kiyoshi Teppei looked at me longer than usual. I put the book back into my book bag and got up simultaneously with Teppei.

We both stared at each other for a second and opened our mouths to speak. He motioned for me to speak first.

"Ryuki told me the placement exam ended 7, so I'm going to head to the convenience store to buy some groceries. I'll see you later, Teppei-kun?"

"Ah, actually I was just about to head there as well to get something for the team," Teppei responded, glancing to his old team members who were arguing over something Hyuuga had said.

"Shall we go together then?"

I received my answer when the door to the gym was opened for me.

Huh, Japanese boys are weird too.


	2. Second Encounter

It had been a week since I accompanied Kiyoshi Teppei to the nearest convenience store to buy groceries and snacks for the members of Seirin's basketball team. Since then, I've begun talking to three people in my homeroom class: Riko, Koganei Shinji (who looks quite like a cat), and Sawamura Daichi, the captain of the Seirin Boys' Volleyball team. It may not seem like much, but I suppose I'm slowly expanding my social circle.

Ryuki, surprisingly, seems to be delighted by this - I frankly don't understand why - as he keeps telling me to drop by the basketball gym after school, with the reason that some of the team members have a crush on me. ("They love your green-hazel eyes! They think you're exotic!") Exotic, my ass; he just probably doesn't want a loner sister pulling down his reputation.

And so, I did end up dropping by the gym (damn you, Ryuki!) to give my younger brother some honey lemon slices that I had made the night before.

 ** _[thursday, after school, seirin high school's basketball gym]_**

I noticed the gym quieted down with my appearance, but with a strict cry from Hyuuga-san, the dribbling of the balls and the squeaking of soles against the gym floor continued.

"Onee-chan!" Ryuki greeted me, one hand extended and expecting the treat, while the other hand was clutching a basketball. The kid wasn't even looking at me; his eyes were focused on the snack within my hands.

I seriously have got to teach him a lesson.

"You think I'm going to give it to you so easily, punk?" I held the box of lemon slices away from his grip.

"Onee-chan, I'm going to get in trouble if I don't start practicing," Ryuki whispered, his eyes glancing at the form of the captain, Hyuuga, in the other corner of the gym.

I don't know what possessed me to say it, but I glared Ryuki straight into his green-hazel eyes (that were the same shade as mine) and said, "If I can score a three pointer, you can't get this snack." I was probably lacking sleep as I even declared this, but the smell of the court, the squeaking of basketball shoes, and the brightness of the gym lights just made me want to feel a basketball in my hands again.

I slid the box of lemons out of the boundaries of the court and grabbed the ball from Ryuki, experimentally bouncing it against the gym floor. Back in the States, we had always played like this in our local gym, fighting for whose turn it was to not do chores. It brought back to me an almost nostalgic feeling, as I dribbled around my brother, determined to find a way to break his defense.

I noticed that the gym was quieting down, as Ryuki's teammates realized that we were actually having a one-on-one play, and they stopped their dribbling to see our next actions. It had been so long since I had played under pressure, so I just took a gamble, stepped away from the painted border, and shot.

The little devil, although he was caught off-guard, managed to swipe a fingernail against the basketball as it made its arc towards the basket. I didn't even bother to look whether I made the shot or not, I just nudged the box of lemons with my foot towards Ryuki. Sure enough, the ball circled the rim and fell out, dejectedly.

"Have fun at practice," I said, grabbing my books and tying my hair up as I headed out the gym door. It had been so long since I had played. I hadn't touched a basketball since our move from the States three months ago.

I wiped some beads of perspiration from my brow and headed towards the nearest vending machine. Some soda sounded really good right now. The vending machine, however, stubbornly flashed its lights at my order; its claw refusing to drop the can of Coke from its grip. God damn it, I didn't realize Japan had crappy vending machines as well.

Frustrated, I pounded on the glass of the machine, hoping the pressure on the claw would allow it to release my drink.

"C'mon, don't eat my money like that." A few more pounds, and I gave the mouth of the vending machine a dejected kick alongside a frustrated grunt.

"You know Emiko-chan, you don't have to kill the machine," I heard a familiar deep voice behind me. Kiyoshi Teppei was standing behind me, clutching his book bag, and giving me a small odd smile. Hopefully my antics didn't scare him too badly, I thought, as I felt a slow blush rise from my cheeks.

"It ate my money," I said, sadly.

"Maybe you just have to ask nicely," he joked, approaching the machine. I stepped aside, and I saw him push the button for the drink again. To my surprise, the claw released its deathly grip on my drink. Teppei reached down and handed it to me.

"Maybe I just don't know how to be nice," I laughed awkwardly. I opened my soda and took a long swig. Wow, this is probably me being the most out of shape I've ever been.

Teppei's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Why haven't you been around since the placement test?" he asked, as he began to open his own can of soda.

"I had to study," I said, ashamedly. Now I've really done it - Ryuki's sister is going to have the reputation of being a nerd AND a loner. _Good job, Emiko-chan_ , I mentally berated myself.

Teppei motioned towards the school gates and we headed out together. "You must be really hardworking then," he said. To my surprise, he added, "Too bad we don't have a Seirin Girls' Basketball club. You'd do wonders for them."

I blinked, looking up at him,"Wait, what?"

"You heard me," Teppei said, looking straight ahead.

In an effort to change the topic (a handy habit I picked up somewhere in my awkward social life), I asked him, "You live in this direction as well?"

He looked down at me and smiled, "Yeah."

It was sort of nice, walking with someone who was comfortable with silence. I sipped my drink and dared to look at the giant guy walking beside me.

He saw my eyes head in his direction, and he smiled as he took another swig of his soda. If I wasn't blushing, this guy was so passive that it would've pissed me off.

As we met a stoplight, Teppei continued the conversation, "You know, if you ever need help in any topic, you can ask me. I might be in a lower class than you, but..."

I let out a laugh to show that I appreciated his offer, "Yeah, maybe sometime soon. Surprisingly, math is pretty difficult for me, and I'm still playing catch-up since we learned the subject pretty slowly back in the United States."

It just dawned on me that I had actually asked for his help. I mean, I wouldn't mind - he was handsome and kind enough...

"Don't you have a test tomorrow? Riko was just talking to me about it today."

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Yeaaaaah, actually I should get studying once I get home."

"Do you want to come over and I'll help you out? My house is actually just past the red light," Teppei pointed, as we began to cross the street.

I was taken aback by his offer. Weren't Japanese boys supposed to be WAY less initiative than boys in America? Yet none of them back there had offered me to go to their house? A bunch of question marks lit up in the back of my head.

"Are you sure? Isn't that too personal, haha. Would your parents be alright with it?" In my surprise, I had accidentally let out a string of questions. Oops.

"I live with my grandparents, and I'm pretty sure that should be fine. We can do some work on the patio if YOU are fine with it." It was hard to say no to him, with his annoyingly crinkly eye-smile and soft deep voice.

"If you say so, Teppei. I mean, Teppei-kun," I facepalmed myself internally as I continued to mess up on honorifics. One of these days, I'm going to meet an elder and accidentally call them "senpai".

"You can just call me Teppei. It's fine, really," he chuckled as he opened the gate to his house. "We can do work on the front porch. I think my grandparents are upstairs taking their afternoon nap anyways."

The next two hours were filled with Teppei's endless patience (it seriously was endless), my crude remarks on how pointless math was, and the thawing of my tsundere state of mind.

Teppei took in my awkwardness and somehow melted it, adjusting to the way I responded to whatever we conversed about. I wouldn't give him all the credit for it though; about an hour in, I began to ask him questions about his life and slowly let more parts of me to be revealed to this strange boy.

"You know, Teppei. You're like an 6 foot 4 teddy bear."

"6 foot 4?"

I laughed at his confusion at my change in units of measurement. "It just makes you sound more gigantic that way."

He chuckled, and the screen door behind us opened. An elderly woman with the same crinkly eyes as Teppei smiled out at us. "Do you want anything to eat, dears?"

"Oh, no that's fine Obaa-chan," Kiyoshi responded. "This is Kita Emiko-chan, a classmate of mine. She recently moved from the United States."

"Pleased to meet you, Kiyoshi-s-san," I stuttered and bowed. Teppei's grandmother commented something about how lovely my eyes were and went indoors, telling us to be careful to not catch a cold.

I began packing my books in my bag as I noticed the sun was starting to set. "I guess I have to go soon! The sun is setting, and I don't want to worry my family," I said, waving to Teppei.

He started to follow me, with his hands in his pockets in that casual way that he walked to the convenience store. "I'm walking you home."

"No, no, no!" I pushed his torso back with both my arms (forgetting the formality of the Japanese, but screw it, he just tutored me in math). To my surprise, he didn't budge.

"You've got to try harder than that," he smirked. I made a constipated groan and attempted to push him one last time. It was like pushing against a brick wall. (I totally ignored the feeling of his torso hardening up under my hands.)

I let out a loud sigh, crossed my arms over my chest, and let out a small smile, "Thanks, Teppei-kun."

When he left me in front of my house, I was at a loss at what to do. The number one thing Japanese people didn't do was hug or show any public display of affection. In addition to that, I don't show any signs of affection.

And so, I left him with a small wave and a smile. He gave me another one of his crinkly smiles, and I waited for his hulking figure to retreat. Instead, he stayed rooted to the spot.

I turned around and gave him my best stern glare, "You're SUCH a gentleman, Kiyoshi-san. They don't call you Iron Heart for nothing."

Whatever his response was, it was cut off by the sound of my annoying little brother Ryuki bicycling up the street. "Kiyoshi-senpai, you walked onee-chan home?"

I hurriedly unlocked the door and shut it loudly behind me.

I swear, if Ryuki starts babbling something about Teppei to Mom...

"Onee-chan got a boy to walk her home!" I heard his shriek even in my upstairs bedroom. Oh geez.

·


	3. Third Encounter

I had a desperate urge to stab Ryuki in the eye as he kept blabbering about how I got a boy, specifically Teppei, to walk me home. The little fucker then proceeded to ask me if I wanted to attend a "private practice" with him and Teppei tomorrow night.

Of COURSE I had to agree. I didn't want Teppei to hear any information that I didn't want him to hear from my little brother. And on top of that, Riko started acting weird too...

 ** _[friday, break, classroom 3-A]_**

"That was a hard test, wasn't it Emiko-chan?" the quirky voice of Riko questioned behind me.

"It was," I agreed, flipping my hair out of my face. "I probably would have failed it if Kiyoshi-kun didn't offer to help me," I ended up admitting to her.

For some odd reason, it felt strangely cathartic to admit that Teppei had helped me out on math. It wasn't as if a part of me just wanted some female advice on Japanese boys. No, I totally needed advice, and considering Riko was my only female friend/acquaintance so far, I felt compelled to tell her.

"Wait, Teppei offered to help you?" she asked, her eyes perking from some basketball stats she was looking at.

I nodded, and Riko seemed to have plunged into deep thought as she stared at me, or rather, at something behind me.

I looked behind, but there was nothing except the empty blackboard. "Interesting," I heard her say, and she proceeded to converse with me about another topic.

"Riko-san, did you grow up with Kiyoshi-kun? You always talk to him without an honorific," I commented to break the silence we were having after she stopped speaking.

"We went out in first year for a couple of months," she responded, continually making marks on the stats sheet.

 _Went out? As in dated? And you're STILL on a first name basis?_ I inadvertently shook my head a couple times to stop myself from those curious thoughts. _Holy shit, Emiko-chan. You just met Teppei a week ago._

As if she could read my thoughts, Riko looked me straight in the eye and asked what I thought about Teppei.

I tried to shrug as nonchalantly as possible and diverted my attention to Koganei-san, who was listening a bit too curiously next to us. I then prayed that Japanese people weren't nearly as much into personal gossip as people were back in America.

 ** _[friday, 6PM, seirin high school's basketball gym]_**

I cursed at myself for wearing my pair of work-out shorts to bike to school to drop off socks for Ryuki. First of all, why couldn't he wear the socks he wore in his school uniform. Second of all, practice was already over and done with - he just HAD to need his stupid Nike socks for private practice with Teppei.

The athletes who were walking home around this time gave me strange looks as I biked in my shorts. They weren't even that short, and to be honest, I don't nearly have as much bust or butt to garner attention in whatever I wore. Plus, who would wear that stupid Seirin sailor uniform, where the skirt literally falls to your knees in public after the designated time in torture that I have to spend in it? Not me.

I parked my bike in the crack next to the vending machines and was met with the captain of the Seirin basketball team, followed by Izuki, Kagami, and the blue-haired boy, Kuroko.

"Hello Hyuuga-san. Oh, and the rest of Seirin too!"

Hyuuga looked the most taken aback at my choice of clothing, compared to the other boys, and I heard him stutter a mumbled "Good evening."

"Kita is in there, if you're looking for him," Kagami, the tall red-haired ace player, commented.

"Thank you, Kagami!" I responded in English, as I recalled Ryuki saying that Kagami, too, had moved here from the States last year. The boy gave me a small grunt/chuckle and headed towards the school gates with the rest of his team.

I could sense Hyuuga stop in his tracks and question Kagami about the length of girls' shorts in America. I chuckled under my breath and pulled the work-out shorts even higher, if Hyuuga dared to look back. I swore I heard his intake of breath. Oh boy, will Riko hear about this later.

Ryuki and Teppei were just standing below one of the two hoops within the gym as I entered. I rummaged through my sports bag and pulled out Ryuki's worn pair of red Nike socks.

"Oi!" I yelled, chucking the folded socks in his direction.

Ryuki caught it and glanced at my apparel up and down. He looked over to Teppei, who appeared to be avoiding making eye-contact with my bare legs. I swear, Japanese boys are seriously missing out.

"Onee-chan, didn't Mom tell you to not wear those shorts out in public here? Also, why are you wearing that?"

"What?" I looked down at my apparel. I was wearing my long sleeved burgundy shirt with the words WHS Basketball imprinted across the chest, my Nike work-out shorts, a pair of flip-flops, and my Adidas sports bag slung over my left shoulder. Perfectly casual.

"Are you planning on playing basketball or something?" the brat questioned.

"Aren't you supposed to be getting on with your training?" I countered him.

As if he could read my mind, Teppei commented, "You can play in here if you want, Emiko-chan. It's a lot nicer than the outdoor courts." He then turned and began to explain ball-handling to Ryuki.

I had gotten my worn basketball shoes from my bag and put them on in the corner of the gym. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Teppei instructing Ryuki on how to effectively hold a ball with one hand. _Woah_ , I realized, as I saw Ryuki's grip begin to falter on the ball. _Teppei has HUGE hands, and his ball-handling isn't even half bad for a center. In fact, it wasn't bad at all._

I headed towards the opposite end of the gym and tried to get all unnecessary thoughts out of my head. Including those of the math test we had today, the fact that wearing shorts was a bad idea, and of Teppei. It had been so long since I had stood in a gym and handled a ball.

Five dribbling exercises and numerous three-pointers (I made 7/10 shots) later, I sat myself down next to my bag and looked at what Ryuki and Teppei were up to.

To my surprise, it was no different than what they were doing an hour ago. I found myself giving more and more attention to Teppei, as Ryuki began to struggle less on handling the ball.

 _He has large hands and quick reflexes, but the way he scans the court like a point guard... He must have a strong passing sense, and with that height, a good field of vision to constantly look out for his teammates._

"Let's do a short one-on-one, Kita," Teppei suggested. The look on Ryuki's face was enough to send out a small burst of laughter from me.

Teppei regarded the both of us with a small smile. "Don't tell me you're scared of an injured senpai, Kita," he said. I saw Ryuki's eyes flash as he took a defensive position.

"Let's pretend my teammate passed me this ball," Teppei commented, "but as my opponent, you're blocking me from making a direct charge."

"So, what's my plan of attack in five seconds?" I saw him initiate a move, which Ryuki successfully blocked.

"If that doesn't work then..." He palmed the ball in one hand and made a dribble motion. But, he didn't dribble. Instead, he spun around Ryuki's defense, weakened by his perception that Teppei was going to dribble, and went in for a lay-up.

 _Amazing. So, he wasn't named Iron King or whatever, for nothing._

"You see how important handling the ball with one hand is, Kita? It gives you a variety of options that you wouldn't get otherwise, offensively." My brother could only stare at him dumbfoundedly, nodding, as Teppei ran his fingers through his hair.

 _Muscles._ I mentally slapped myself after ogling his arm muscles.

"Emiko-chan?" Teppei's voice sent another mental slap to myself, as I jerked myself to look at his deep brown eyes.

"Yes, Teppei-kun?"

"You play point guard, right?" I nodded. Ryuki added, "She specialized in making three-pointers. Kind of like a second shooting guard if they were stacked on defense."

Teppei chuckled and mumbled something along the lines of, "Perfect." I blushed, but zapped out of it quickly enough to catch the ball that he sent my way.

"Do you mind passing me the ball?" I threw it to him sideways, and he went into a drive against Ryuki.

I expected Teppei to jump higher than Ryuki, but my brother hopped, extending a large block over any offense he was expecting. Instead of shooting around the block, however, Teppei did a surprising thing, and tossed the ball BACK to me.

"Emiko, shoot!"

I barely had time to register what was happening before the ball landed back into my hands. I got into position and shot.

The net made a satisfying swish, but I was too busy trying to figure out what on earth had just happened instead of feeling proud about my three-pointer.

"You're a really solid shooter, Emiko-chan. You remind me a lot of Hyuuga," Teppei said, as he approached me and ruffled my hair.

Instead of pushing his hand away, as I usually do to my brother, I simply pouted and said, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

He laughed and said to Ryuki, "Now you try it."

An hour later, we were packing up to exit the gym to go home. I retrieved my bike from the vending machine and Ryuki left to unlock his bike from the rack behind the gym.

"Teppei-kun, you're a really amazing player," I blurted out. I had spent the last thirty minutes before we left observing his play, and his movements completely captivated my attention.

 _His agility, his smooth movements, and those REFLEXES..._

"I think you're equally amazing, Emiko-chan. Kita told me that you haven't played in three months, yet you still managed to score that three-pointer," he said, smiling at me softly.

I hoped the darkness hid my blush. Thankfully, my nuisance of a brother appeared with his bike before I was forced to formulate another sentence.

"I guess I'll see you on Monday, Emiko-chan, Kita-kun," Teppei said as he waved us off.

"But Kiyoshi-senpai! You live the same way, and it would be rude for us to go off like this," Ryuki butted in.

Teppei attempted to tell him that it was alright, but he decided to say, "Why don't you ride with Onee-chan? I'm sure she won't mind! Right, Onee-chan?" I swear Ryuki tried to wink at me.

My heart started pounding at that suggestion, and I managed a weak, "It's no problem at all, really."

"It's the least we could do after you offered to help me, senpai!"

 _Least WE could do? Ryuki, you're never going to get the end of this_ , I thought as Teppei got on my bike.

I stood behind my bike for a minute or two, hesitating to get on, with fearful thoughts of me falling off as Teppei started pedaling. He glanced behind his back and saw my hesitation.

"Something wrong, Emiko-chan?" Teppei asked, his thick eyebrows knitting in concern.

"No, no! Just thinking about how...unexpected this turn of events was for me," I responded, swinging my legs to the side of my bike and wrapping my arms around his torso.

"You should hold on tighter, you know," I heard his deep voice emanating from his back, and I slowly tightened my grip around him. I thanked the gods that he was not able to see my face and removed my hair tie so that my flying hair would serve as another curtain from his glance.

"Th-thanks," I muttered, and he began pedaling.

"Why did you start playing basketball again?" Teppei asked me. I could feel his head angling back to look at me, yet I averted his gaze.

"Because ever since I was a child, it was fun. Even if I lost, playing made me happy."

"Even if you lost?" he prodded.

"Whenever you're playing, doesn't it make you feel like you're in another world of your own? Just you and the ball?" I stated, rhetorically. "What about you, Teppei-kun? Why do YOU play?"

I heard him chuckle, "Same reason as you. Because I like having fun."

I gave him a light hit on his shoulder. "No repeating answers! Isn't that a general rule?"

"Ouch, Ryuki was right when he said you were evil," he said playfully, as I punched him another time, a tiny bit harder.

"You're supposed to be the Iron Heart or Uncrowned King or something! Withstand the pain!" I yelled into the wind, my hair muffling me.

"Don't call me that! It's embarrassing," he mumbled. "By the way, when was repeating answers a general rule?"

"Isn't that a rule when you're playing 21 Questions?"

"We were playing 21 Questions?"

I almost bit my tongue off before I said the next line. "I assumed you were trying to get to know me through all the questions that you've been asking, so yes, I think we've been playing 21 Questions for the past couple of days."

The sound of the squeaky pedals filled the silence before he responded, "Ah, so you've figured me out."

"Wha-"

"Guess I'm home now! Thanks for the ride, Kita-kun, Emiko-chan," Teppei said, gently removing himself off the bike and handing it to me by the handlebars.

We waited for him to enter his house (as he did to me yesterday) and rode off into the setting darkness. I heard my phone beep, as I received a text message.

Tired and half-expecting it to be from Mom, the message was completely unexpected: "So, another round of 21 Questions?"


	4. Fourth Encounter

Since the unexpected text I received, I had spent the remainder of my Friday night and the entirety of my Saturday devoted to talking to Kiyoshi Teppei.

He was a sweet boy, with a surprising amount of sarcasm and spice to be a great conversation partner. I learned a lot about him over the next day, as our conversations were surprisingly effortless considering I was such a social handicap, extending into the late hours of the night.

It was Sunday afternoon, when we were on our fourth round of 21 Questions (we went off on too many tangents and continually lost count) that I realized something was wrong.

Text History:

[03:04:44] K.T: Your turn, Emiko-chan!

[03:07:06] K.T: Emiko? Did you fall asleep again? Sleep is for the weak...

[03:07:50] K.E: Shut up! I was only thinking... You know, something intellectual people do, haha.

[03:09:01] K.T: You wound me more than my messed up knee :P

[03:11:22] K.E: I figured out a question! Why are you still on a first name basis with Riko-chan, even if you've already broken up? Sorry if this is a bit too personal ^^;;

[03:20:03] K.E: Teppei-kun, you don't have to respond if this was too personal. My bad, haha!

[09:05:22] K.E: Thanks for leaving me hanging... Good night!

There were a million things on my mind after I had sent that text message, asking about his past with Riko. One, he might think I'm a stalker because I know all this information. Two, I must have scared him away because he thinks I'm a stalker. Three, he must've realized my small pathetic crush on him and wants to avoid me.

 ** _[sunday, 10PM, emiko's room in the kita residence]_**

"Do NOT check your phone, do NOT check your phone," I recited what had become my mantra starting this afternoon. I had accidentally caved an hour ago, sending him a good night text, and I was determined to not let that happen again.

"What am I going to do when I see him tomorrow?" I stood up from my bed, away from my phone, and began pacing the perimeter of my room.

I slapped the palms of my hands on my face. "Wake up Emiko! If he's not responding JUST because of that question, that means he's not even a real man."

I went on Youtube from my phone (trying my best to avoid my text messages) and turned on some anime soundtracks to calm myself down. "He's not worth your time if YOU'RE not worth his time... So tomorrow, just do you," I said to myself as I stared determinedly into the mirror.

"You are Kita Emiko, ex-point guard and captain of one of the United States' nationally ranked high school basketball team!" I pointedly disregarded the "ex-point guard" term. "If he's just playing around with you, you definitely shouldn't be wasting your time."

With that final statement, I turned off my phone, deleted Teppei's text messages to save myself from future trauma, and went to bed. _I hope I don't bump into him tomorrow._

 ** _[wednesday, after school, maji burger]_**

I had successfully managed to evade Teppei the past three days. I prided myself on this fact as I sat myself down on one of Maji Burger's tables, taking out my half-finished Haruki Murakami book. My brain, however, refused to start reading and started to wander to other thoughts.

I had come pretty close on Tuesday face-to-face with Teppei, I mused, if I had not clung onto Yamaguchi Aimi and her group of friends that I had befriended frantically as I made eye contact with him in the halls.

The encounter was somewhat strange and odd. It seemed like he was _looking_ for me, instead of avoiding me as his text messages had given me the impression.

I wondered if he even talked to Riko about it; they seemed pretty close, but she did not reveal any hints that she knew what was going on. We just casually talked about schoolwork, new manga releases, and the occasional cravings. Earlier this morning, however, Riko had randomly asked me if I was talking to Teppei recently.

Being the weakling that I am, I caved and told her everything that had occurred. The rational part of my brain made me want to shoot myself, as I was 99% convinced that Riko actually _knew_ what was going on. But, her being my only female friend and confidante, I had no reason not to tell her.

Surprisingly, Riko offered me no major input on these events. She merely nodded and said I should confront him about it.

 _Confront him about it?_ I almost snorted into my vanilla milkshake. That was almost too close to confessing my small interest in him. Unfortunately, the thick substance that I inhaled from my straw was enough to set me into a coughing spree, garnering attention from those seated around me.

I felt a warm, large hand pat my back, easing my coughs. Looking up, I saw myself staring into the chocolate brown eyes of Kiyoshi Teppei. I had to resist the urge to literally _run away_ from this social confrontation, but I took a deep breath and remained stationary in my seat.

"Mind if I take a seat?" His cheerful tone of voice was normal, in the least, but I could sense a bit of hesitation behind it.

I nodded, and took a sip from my vanilla milkshake to ease my accelerated heartbeat.

After he had taken his seat, we stared at each other for a minute. It was me, constantly sipping my millkshake, staring into his constantly blinking eyes. It would've been comical, from a stranger's viewpoint.

I mentally counted to three and blurted the thoughts that had been on the tip of my tongue since Sunday afternoon.

He, too, had chosen that moment to ask a similar question. My "Why haven't you been talking to me since Sunday?" collided with his "Why have you been avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?"

Teppei, being his usual gentlemanly self, allowed me to go first. I blushed and told him to start the conversation, mumbling about how I was no good at this.

He leaned his large figure across the table and looked at me concernedly. "Emiko-chan, I apologize for surprising you here like this, but I just wanted to know the reason behind why you have been avoiding me. Did I do something wrong? I'm really really sorry if I had said anything to offend y-"

"Teppei, why are you apologizing? Shouldn't it be me?"

His large eyes blinked at me, prodding me to continue.

"Since Sunday you haven't texted back, and I've honestly been so confused because I thought I had said something wrong in my previous text message. And if I _did_ say something wrong, gosh, I'm really sorry because I'm frankly just useless at just talking to people, and I was already surprised because you're actually showing interest in me and texting me when in reality, no one talks to me at all, and I've just been confused and socially anxious and-"

I was cut off by Teppei prodding a small french fry into my mouth.

"You should eat. Chewing helps you lower your anxiety levels," he said, giving me a small smile. I quietly took another fry from his tray and sipped from my milkshake.

"I'm really sorry that I interrupted you, Emiko-chan. I did try to text you back on Sunday though - I just got received no response," he took out his flip phone to show me. Sure enough, the last text message was delivered from his end.

I wanted to melt into the edge of my seat. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Mom had probably forgotten to pay the phone bill this month, probably because I didn't remind her.

Teppei continued speaking, "So, I thought it had something to do with my past relationship with Riko since you both are turning out to be really great friends. But I really hope that my past won't prevent me from getting to know _you_ , since you are a really amazing person and I don't regret any minute staying up late to talk with y-"

This time, it was me who interrupted him, sticking the straw of my milkshake underneath his mouth, urging him to take a drink.

"You should drink this, Teppei-kun. The ice from the drink should freeze your brain and help you talk slower," I said, giving him a small smile.

He returned the smile, and I could sense my cheeks giving rise to a blush as I realized the intimacy of the scene. He was sipping on the milkshake I was offering - one of my hands was on the cup, the other picking at a french fry from the tray - his eyes never straying from my face.

I forgot what happened next, but I realized we began to converse on another topic, leaving behind whatever was gnawing at us earlier today on the road of miscommunication. It was nice sitting there, snacking on fries, with Teppei's foot playfully nipping at my ankles.

It eventually became a game between us - trying to surprise each other with our feet in the middle of a conversation, or trying to tickle the other person's ankle. Some time later, as the sun began to set and we had completely finished our food, I was content with rubbing my ankles against his as we jumped from conversation topic to another.

I jolted from my reverie when the rowdy Seirin Basketball team greeted us as they entered Maji Burger after their practice. I instinctively jumped to remove my right foot from between Teppei's ankles, but he entwined his feet together, refusing to let me move.

"Onee-chan! You're with senpai again!"

"Oi, you've finished your food a long time ago, dorks. Get a move on so other people can sit," announced the blunt voice of Hyuuga.

Teppei shot him one of his signature goofy smile. "Oops, I guess we were too busy talking to notice that it's almost nighttime," he said, as he gathered his bag from below the table, disentangling his feet.

"We'll be leaving now. Good night everyone!" I chimed in, eager to get the hell away from the questioning eyes of Riko and the rest of the team.

When Teppei and I exited Maji Burger, he asked me, "Did we really just collaborate to get ourselves out of a mess?"

"Hmm, guess I'm useful after all in social situations, Mr. Who Talks To Everyone."

"Your smart mouth can be really annoying."

"Make me shut up then."

"Do you want to come watch your brother's first starting game? It's this Friday, at Fukada High School. We can bus together if you'd like."

"Are you asking me out?" I looked up at the tall figure walking beside me.

His eyes crinkled up, and he placed one of his large hands onto my head. "You're cute when you act obliviously. No, I'm asking you to go to the moon with me. Definitely not a date."

I let him keep his hand on my head and ruffle my hair. Just this one time only.

* * *

 _A/N: Thank you for the reviews, follows, and faves so far! I'm glad we're all giving a little bit of love to the wonderful Kiyoshi Teppei (whose 100% boyfriend material). Just a clarification, Emiko and Teppei are now "dating" but are not a couple! They're simply getting to know one another before a serious commitment (woah, was that a spoiler?)_


	5. Fifth Encounter

**_[friday, 3PM, seirin high school]_**

Like every other Friday afternoon, I breathed a sigh of relief walking away from the stuffy classrooms of Seirin as I welcomed the upcoming two days of relaxation away from the stress of schoolwork (Japan isn't ranked above the US in education for nothing).

I skipped past the school gates to the beat of my favorite anime's new opening theme, made it past two stoplights, Teppei's house...

Wait. Teppei...

I hurriedly unlocked my phone and saw the text message that I didn't bother to check.

"Meet you at the bus stop at 3:40, Emiko-chan!"

Shit. My clock read 3:25. Now's the time I really wished I sprinted the mile during basketball season instead of jogging slowly. The bus stop was literally the distance from my house to school in the opposite direction.

Without another thought, I yanked my earphones out and took off, sprinting towards the hope that Teppei wouldn't figure out that I **totally forgot** about my first date with him.

I arrived at 3:33, and I can officially say that I've broken my record of having a 10 minute mile time while carrying a heavy book bag. _Having a crush on a guy really gives you the ability to do insane things,_ I thought,feeling my cheeks get redder (from running a mile of course!)

"Emiko-chan, you look really flustered," Teppei eyed me curiously. My hair had escaped the long braid I had fixed it in earlier today, and disheveled strands stuck up from the top of my head. I inwardly cringed and began taking apart my braid, running my hands through my black waves.

"Eh heh.. Yeah, I...uh...left some things at my house," I said sheepishly, as my finger got caught on a large tangle of hair.

"You need some help there?" Teppei offered, as I nearly strangled myself trying to take apart the knot that was in the back of my head.

"Sure," I responded, blushing some more. Really, the blushing habit of mine has gotten really annoying, and I secretly thanked the Gods that I still looked like a huge mess so Teppei wouldn't notice.

He spent an entire minute trying to gently comb out the knots in my tresses and continued to do so even when we were seated on the bus. All I could do was stare out the window, as he insisted on attempting to do so.

"Your hair reminds me of silk. It's really soft," he commented, examining one of my strands as the bus rattled on past some more stops. I was about to come up with a sarcastic remark, but the gentle chimes of a girl's voice behind us surprised me.

"Dai=chan, why can't you ever comb through my hair for me like that?" Her voice was surprisingly gentle in comparison to the indifferent groan that followed her remark.

"Satsuki, stop complaining. I'm already following you to Fukada, or wherever Seirin is playing."

"But Dai-chan, it was YOU who wanted to get some ramen nearby..."

At the sound of Seirin, Teppei innocently turned around and smiled at the couple behind us - a girl with straight, long pink hair and a tall, tanned blue-haired boy.

"Ah, isn't it Aomine Daiki and the manager from Touou Academy?" he questioned with a friendly smile. The boy's eyebrows furrowed at attempting to recognize Teppei, but the girl smiled winningly as she responded, "Kiyoshi Teppei, isn't it? Is your knee better?"

Teppei, like me, was surprised at her knowledge about his injury. It really wasn't a prideful thing to go around saying you had gone through surgery and rehabilitation in America for four months, then return back to school pretending all was fine and dandy.

Before he could respond, the bus had reached its stop by Fukada High School, and Teppei motioned for me to get up and take our leave. "I'm healing," he said lightly to the pink-haired girl. "I guess this is our stop - will we be seeing you soon as well?"

"After Dai-chan eats, I think. He's awfully grumpy!" the girl responded, throwing an irritated look to the boy next to her. In an instant, her smile was back on as she introduced herself to me. "I''m Momoi Satsuki and here is Aomine Daisuki. I presume you go to Seirin?"

I nodded. The girl waved us off as more people began leaving at the stop. "We'll see you later at the game!"

When we got off the stop, Teppei turned to me with a slight smile and said, "Those two remind me of you and me, with switched genders obviously."

I did not hesitate to punch him and threatened to do much more if he compared me to a ganguro.

 ** _[friday, 5:30 PM, fukuda high school gym]_**

Fukuda's basketball gym was twice the size of Seirin's gym, in terms of seating arrangement for viewers. I followed Teppei in finding seats that would give us the best view and almost tripped over a soda can, admiring the wide court below us. We had arrived with a couple minutes to spare until the game began, so we didn't get the chance to see Seirin warm up.

The boys were huddled in a circle around Riko and Hyuuga, as Riko spoke and Hyuuga solemnly nodded at intervals. Then, the captain stepped in to give his words of encouragement.

"He sounds rather angry, doesn't he?" I giggled to Teppei as Hyuuga's easily recognizable voice reverberating around the gym.

Teppei chuckled nostalgically, "He's always like that. Don't worry, it boosts up the team's morale though."

At the first time out, Teppei urged me to stand up and cheer for Seirin, saying that will give them encouragement to perform better. I gave him an _Are you serious?_ face, responding that the boys were doing perfectly okay.

The team was not excelling, but they were not struggling either. Teppei and I had our heads leaned close together, as the sound of the whistle, squeaky soles, and the thud of the basketball made it hard to listen to the each other's comments.

It was not until the second half that the tide of the game was changing. To my surprise, Ryuki was being subbed in for Mitobe.

"He's playing?" I gasped. Teppei gave me a knowing nod.

"Did you doubt my predictions?"

"I just didn't think he was strong enough yet..."

"He's getting stronger. You should have more faith in your brother." His comment made me flush.

As if Kiyoshi Teppei knows how much I truly believe in Ryuki. Who is he to say that? At the sound of the whistle of substitution, I stood up from my seat and yelled out in English, "GO RYUKI GO! Show them what you've got!"

I sat down in a huff and glared at Teppei. "Don't act like you know how much faith I hold within my brother."

He gave an apologetic smile and squeezed my arm, "You know I didn't mean it that way, Emiko-chan."

As the game continued onward, however, I noticed there was a decrease in momentum. It wasn't present in Mitobe leaving the court, but it seemed as if the entire Seirin team was running low on steam - all except Ryuki, who was freshly reenergized.

Fukuda, recognizing this, took the chance to begin putting more pressure on Ryuki. As a center, I had to admit he has a pretty poor build, as the other centers towered above him. Yet, I knew the kid had major hops and a whole lot of stamina linked with a stubborn desire to not give up.

I cringed as Hyuuga's three-pointer hit the rim, and Ryuki was forced to get the rebound. My hand instinctively reached out to curl around Teppei's wrist.

"Will he be able to grab it? Oh god, it looks like he's going to get elbowed in the face!"

Fukuda's larger center managed to get his grip on the rebounding ball, and to my embarrassment, I let out a short string of cuss words.

"Fuck!" I cursed in English. Teppei glanced at me, raising his bushy eyebrows. I clapped my free hand to my mouth in embarrassment and mouthed a "Sorry!". I don't know why I did though; no one else within the gym would've understood it anyways.

Teppei stayed mainly silent the rest of the game, allowing me to return to my own world of hysterics. I forgot to say that I get unusually riled up about sports, abandoning my socially awkward image to turn into an obsessive freak who wants her team to win.

"God damn it Ryuki, you BETTER smash this one in!"

"SHIT, Kagami, stop hogging the ball - they're already double-teaming you."

At every rebound that Ryuki missed, I shamelessly let out a resounding "Fuck!", until I saw Teppei glance my way.

He never got tired of it, turning a lazy eye my direction and seeing me flush pink under his stare.

I think he was beginning to regret asking me to join him to watch the game.

Nevertheless, Ryuki did manage to pull some moves that Teppei had drilled into him over the past week. He executed a couple of shaky "Right of Postponements" to which I grabbed Teppei's wrist in excitement, and fumbled on an attempt at Vice Claw, but ended up using both hands. It was a valiant attempt, especially for his first game.

In the last five minutes of the 4th quarter, I began to relax my constant grip on his left arm as Ryuki was subbed out.

"You know, you should be teaching Ryuki Vice Claw, not me," Teppei joked.

"Sorry, I just get a bit too excited," I responded sheepishly.

"You have a smart mouth as well."

"Cursing is the norm in America when a player you like does something stupid, okay?"

"It's slightly endearing."

"Excuse me?"

I didn't pay it much attention to mind, but every time I got riled up about Ryuki missing a rebound or a stumble during the game, Teppei would turn his head my direction. I thought it was that he was following where I was diverting my attention, but I realized he was just looking at me.

"Stop looking at me, it's weird," I finally said exasperatedly.

"Do you not like people looking at you? Maybe you should talk to Kuroko about the misdirection thing."

I took this chance to turn my head and stare directly into Kiyoshi's large, chocolate brown orbs. "Kiyoshi Teppei, you're really darn strange, with your passive attitude and crinkly eye-smile. I just know you're up to something."

He seemed a bit taken aback as I said this, as if no one had told him this before. "Is that bad?"

"No. I can just tell."

"Come on, let's go congratulate the team," he said, as the final buzzer rang.

"Seirin wins the match, 95-83!"

I had no choice but to follow him. That was the thing with me. I was too curious for my own good, and Kiyoshi Teppei certainly made me curious to find out more about him.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry for the short-ish, not very detailed chapter! I was up writing til the late hours of the night, haha. Personally, I had always seen Kiyoshi as a character that was underrated and ultimately underestimated by others. He's a very crafty man, yet holds a kind heart. Next chapter will be an interlude to delve into Emiko and Teppei's "relationship" - the reason why she thinks he's up to something and why she wants to find out more about him (hint: their telephone conversations a couple days ago). Thanks for the reviews and faves so far, guys! :-)_


	6. Encounter 3 12

_A/N: This is not the sixth encounter, but an interlude chapter delving deeper into Emiko's and Teppei's relationship. Thank you for following this story so far! I hope this gives insight on Teppei's character and what Emiko thinks of him :-)_

* * *

 _ **[some time between the end of their 3rd encounter and their 4th; a phone conversation at 11PM]**_

"Hello? Teppei?" I winced at the awkwardness that emanated from my voice.

"You've got the wrong number, kid," a deep scratchy voice that sounded suspiciously a lot like Teppei responded.

"Shut up!"

"Why did you call me?" he asked, his voice the playful note that I recognized immediately. I cringed at myself for not thinking about this ahead of time. You see, I'm pretty impulsive in all the decisions I make.

"I didn't want to text, and plus, I was falling asleep." Well, that sounded like a normal enough answer.

I heard his usual chuckle across the line. It was the chuckle that he used to fill up a silence, so that things don't turn awkward.

"This is going to sound really weird but.. Why do you always act so..Teppei-like," I didn't bother adding the honorific onto his name, as it was late at night and a time where I get more talkative.

But, this was an answer that I've been wanting to get from him, ever since he had invited me over to help me with math homework.

For some reason, I felt that Kiyoshi Teppei had a lot more to him than just his good manners, crinkly eye-smiles, and sometime air-head behavior. I had that feeling ever since he told me about his hospital experiences, his goals for creating the Seirin basketball team, and the obvious suffering that he tried to conceal while undergoing his knee injury. Those experiences change a person, but I had just a hunch that he, too, hid his emotions extremely well from everyone in his life.

You can't hide your emotions from a person who knows how to hide their emotions.

"What do you mean?"

I struggled to clarify my thoughts into words. "You're always so...happy and passive and almost a pushover without being one and... It's IMPOSSIBLE for a person to be that perfect."

"You're saying I'm perfect?" There was the chuckle again. He pisses me off when he does that.

"No, I'm saying your persona is... I know we've just barely gotten to know one another but I just can't help but feel that sometimes you hide a lot of what you think and feel."

"Doesn't everyone do that?"

"Don't question me when I'm asking you, Teppei!"

I heard him give a quiet sigh. "You're pretty perceptive, you know?"

I remained silent, urging him to continue. "It's just a lot easier that way, for me and everyone else. I honestly don't like to concern other people with how I'm feeling, especially. Remember how I told you about my hospitalization? I didn't allow the team to visit during that time, only Hyuuga and Riko."

"Well, you're my friend and I really do care about how you feel," I said, after a short silence, gathering my thoughts. "I just wanted to ask you that because I've been very honest in our encounters, and I wanted it to be for you as well."

"I am honest when I'm with you. You're an amazingly intricate and interesting person. That makes me happy."

I blushed into my blanket as he said this.

"My turn," he said, indicating that it was his turn to question me in the 21 Questions game we were playing.

"Why didn't you talk to anyone when you came from the States? I remember Ryuki saying some thing about it, but I didn't pay to mind, haha."

I groaned into my phone. "I'm going to sound like such a prick to you... You're not going to want to be my friend..."

"That's silly. Stop trying to get away from this topic!"

I groaned dramatically one last time and flipped myself flat onto my back, staring at my white ceiling. "Well, I didn't want to talk to anyone because I was selfish. I thought that maybe if I seemed like I was depressed enough or something, even if we're a slightly lower class family, my parents would try and send me back to the U.S. to boarding school or something. To me, anything was better than wearing baggy ugly uniforms surrounded by prude students."

I said in a softer tone of voice, "Selfish, right? I'm just actually an extremely selfish person, who wants everything her way."

"You're not selfish. I am ten times, no, probably a hundred times worse than you. What you did was, if not sensible as a teenager, but bearable to your family. To be honest, I'd probably do worse."

"What would you do?" I asked him.

"Something that I wouldn't want you to know," he whispered back.

I just realized something. Kiyoshi Teppei, like us all, thinks he is a bad person or is self-conscious, to an extent.

To break the awkward silence, he said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you how I got Hyuuga to start playing basketball again. It took me forever to formulate a situation for him to realize how much he loved the sport."

"Wait, you actually formulated a situation? What the heck, Teppei?"

"I told you. I'm a selfish perso-"

"Shut up about the selfishness thing, Teppei. Everyone is selfish to an extent, but you also did it with Hyuuga's interests in mind, so stop making yourself seem like a terrible mastermind, alright?"

He laughed, and I knew that he had given up fighting against me for that one. "You sure talk a lot more at night, Emiko."

"I have a feeling that you're enjoying this though, so I'll take this as my cue to keep on talking," I retorted.

"Yes, please do. I just...don't know what to ask you, but I feel as if you know way more about me than I know about you. It's unfair."

"It's not unfair if a person is just a lot more perceptive, Teppei."

"Hmm, let's see..." Teppei began clucking his tongue in his mouth, making weird sound effects into the line. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"Oh, me? Well, yeah. It was freshman year - in America, it's your first year of high school, but it's equivalent to Japan's third-year of middle school. We went out for a year, but we broke up our second year. I think he found another girl who was more interesting, but that doesn't really matter now, because I know I'm obviously better," I smirked, trying to end on a note of bravado.

"Wait, he dumped you? YO-" I cut Teppei off before he could continue.

"Save that for your other question, Teppei... No cheating!"

"It's definitely not cheating if I just asked you to clarify your answer. You never even gave me any information about the guy!" Teppei whined playfully, sounding a bit like one of my girlfriends who were desperate for gossip.

"Shhhhhh, you're not going to be able to persuade me to talk more. I'm pretty stubborn."

"You know, Emiko," Teppei said abruptly. "You're one of the first people to ever point out my idiosyncrasies, like my airhead behavior."

"Please don't tell me you do it on purpose."

"No, but sometimes I just get lost in my thoughts.. Does that ever happen to you?"

"Are you trying to ask me another question or what, Teppei?"

"Nope! Haha, I guess that was your question! Now it's my turn to ask!" I was literally rolling my eyes at his enthusiasm at being able to trick me.

"You're so unfair that if life had a referee, it would give you a foul," I said, giving my best Izuki impersonation. I ended up not being able to hold in my laughter and snorted slightly. Teppei heard me and joined in with his dorky laughter.

His laugh was breathy and rich, and upon hearing it, it was so _**Kiyoshi Teppei**_ that I could see his chocolate colored eyes light up in hearing his voice.

I fell asleep some time in between 1-2AM, an hour after we finished our round of 21 Questions. We were exchanging childhood stories and our recollections of America, as he had stayed in the States for three months, after his most rece nt knee surgery. I drifted off as his soft voice described the hospital he stayed in at Los Angeles and how, on good days, his caretaker Alex would take him to Little Tokyo. His voice carried his strengths and his weaknesses - it wavered on the edge of breaking whenever he said that eating ramen in LA reminded him of home and how nowhere in the world would carry the same wind as Japan. I heard his trials and tribulations, and it made me so curious to understand this boy who had grown up in a world away from my own, living with his grandparents. He felt more than he could speak, and he was able to twist his words in creating another world for himself, where he was sheltered and safe. It made me feel indescribably homesick for America, yet for the first time since I stepped foot in Japan, I felt safe and comfortable in the bed that I've been twisting and turning in for weeks.


	7. Sixth Encounter

"Do you want to become Seirin's manager?" Riko asked me the first thing on Monday morning, as I took my usual seat in front of her.

I turned back in surprise, almost whipping my long braid into her face. "Wait, me? What for?"

Riko leaned back against her desk and began playing with her ballpoint pen. "Teppei told me some interesting things you said at the game. It seemed like a good idea to have another strategist on the team."

I reconsidered this for a moment. In the States, being the manager literally meant being the water girl, and as a past basketball player, I wasn't down for that type of humiliation. Delivering water to my brother and his teammates? Count me out.

As if she could read my thoughts, Riko voiced out, "What if I asked you to be Seirin's team analyst?"

A small smile slid across my face. "Consider it done."

And thus, my after school free time became filled up in a mist of practices, scribbled analyzations, and more Kiyoshi Teppei than I've seen before. It had only been a couple of weeks since I met him at the start of the school year, but it seemed like years to me at this point in our... _relationship_?

 ** _[thursday - two weeks after i became team analyst, after school, seirin high school's basketball gym]_**

"Emiko!" a deep voice called out to me while I was doodling in Riko's playbook. Sometimes, Riko doodles more than she constructs plays, and the habit was passed on to me.

"Hmm?" I responded uninterestedly, completing the drawing of a basketball shoe on the corner of a blank play sheet. It ended up looking chunky, and nothing like my Nike Airs. I sighed and made them into a familiar pair of black Adidas shoes that I had last seen in a store advertisement a couple of months ago.

"What are you drawing?" Teppei asked, peering over my shoulder. I wanted to smack him away, but my shading on this shoe was actually _very_ good, so I let him see my illustration while I attempted to complete the shoe's details.

"You know, Emiko-chan, those were my shoes when I used to play," he said.

"Really?" I nearly dropped my pencil. For a moment I felt like I was psychic. Then, an idea popped into my mind. "I should draw you!" I began sketching a leg from the shoe that I drew, but a hand snatched the pencil from my grip.

"I need your input on a technique for Ryuki," Teppei announced, pocketing my pencil. I sighed and put down the play book. I honestly couldn't wait for practice to end.

 ** _[after practice]_**

I was sitting, leaning against the wall that would lead to the entrance of the boys' locker room. I was waiting for Ryuki to bike me home, but the kid was taking forever(he is literally the last one out) and I didn't feel like walking almost a mile home in the rapidly approaching dusk.

I was almost done with my rough sketch of Teppei. I blushed, mentally reminding myself to tear out the page in case Riko might find it. It was, if I didn't say so myself, a very nicely done sketch. I had seen a couple of tapes of Seirin's games last year, and I distinctly remembered how Teppei looked, playing point guard at the Yosen game. It was pretty impressive, seeing a large guy as he play a position reserved for usually a smaller and more agile player.

I glanced at my clock, realizing that it was almost 7:30.

"Ryuki, if you don't respond I'm going to come in!" I pushed my way past the locker room door and made my way down the middle aisle.

"Now is NOT the time for games Ryu-" I halted as I stumbled upon the changing form of Kiyoshi Teppei. I thanked the Gods that he was wearing pants, but not the same could be said for his shirt. He was _almost_ shirtless, as he was having trouble finding the hole to pull his head through his long-sleeved sweater.

"Emiko, do you mind helping me out here?" a muffled voice came from within the sweater. I saw that his detailed torso was scattered with small water droplets, indicating that he recently came from the shower.

"That would explain why you're stuck," I muttered to myself.

I approached him and helped him pull his cotton sleeves fully over his arms. Then, I guided his head to the sweater's opening. Teppei gave me a flushed and apologetic smile, and I hoped that he was too flushed himself to notice the rising blush that was giving out near my neck and cheeks.

What he did notice was the playbook that I accidentally had dropped in an effort to help him put on his sweater.

 _Oh please NO, do NOT let it be on that page where I had drawn Kiyoshi Teppei. Please. NO._

My brain did not communicate effectively to my hand that I should snatch the book from his hands _before.._

"Hey, that's me," he said, giving the sketch a small smile.

I stepped closer to remove the book from his grasp, but he held it above my head. "Let me look at this great work for a moment, Artist-san," he said, jokingly.

"Give. It. Back!" I said in angry huffs, attempting to jump at the book high in his hand. Unfortunately, my small frame was not even close to reaching his elbow as I reached in vain. I sighed and began to clamber on the benches aligned by the lockers.

This time, I was finally in reach of the book, and for once, I was towering slightly above Kiyoshi Teppei. His head came up to my ear, and he leaned back, looking me in the eyes.

His chocolate colored eyes were so vibrant, I could see my hazel green eyes within them.

"You're so cute when you're mad," he says, his voice snapping me out of my reverie.

"I'm not!" I insisted, my hand grabbing hold onto his wrist that was finally within my reach. But, as my hand contacted with his wrist, I felt something warm and large, very much like Teppei's hand onto my neck, angling my face gently downwards.

Our lips met.

I don't remember how, but I ended up leaning against his locker, my hand still firmly grasped around his wrist. Everything felt just so damn natural that when he let go, I didn't even feel myself blush. His lips were gentler than his chocolate colored eyes, sweeter and tangier than any candy I've tasted in my life.

"Sorry," he mumbled, releasing me from his grasp and placing the play book on one of the benches.

"I really should go," he said, gathering his sports bag and towel, ruffling his damp hair.

It was strange. I'd never seen or heard Kiyoshi Teppei sound so insecure.

My footsteps resonated within the empty locker room as I ran after him, pulling the string of his bag.

"Where are you going? Aren't we walking home?"

He stood there for a moment, letting the last water droplets fall onto his damp white towel, as if my words had froze him. His eyes locked onto mine, searching my expression with a deep, intense curiosity, and his lips slowly quirked into a small smile. He took my hand from his bag and wrapped his larger palm around mine, with urgency in his actions despite his calm stare. He examined my hand as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world, and after much deliberation, he entwined his large fingers within mine.

"If I walk you home, then will you be my girlfriend?"

I didn't respond; I only pulled him towards the exit of the locker room, home bound.

* * *

 _A/N: A kiss scene. WHOO. I did a kiss scene! It was my first one ever, sorry for the excitement. Thank you to those who have recently followed and favorited our small but still going strong story :-) Everything is soon coming to a close, but I was thinking of writing a Kiyoshi x Reader fic on this platform very soon. Stay tuned, and thank you for all the love, reviews, and critique so far!_


	8. Seventh Encounter

**_[friday, seirin's high school basketball gym, kiyoshi teppei's pov]_**

"Hey," I heard her whimsical voice sound across the empty gym. I'm not sure whether it was the circumstances that I was in, or if it was simply her voice, that made my heart pull achingly.

"What are you doing?" Footsteps approached me and the sound reverberated around us.

"I'm just thinking about the memories I made here." I felt my girlfriend's light grasp snake around my arm. It was comforting.

"We're graduating in two days," I said hollowly. The future was wide open for us, yet all I wanted to do was reflect, for this short moment in time, on the impact of Seirin on myself. How many nights had I spent here - sweaty, discouraged, frustrated, happy, and thankful? How much would I miss that when I had moved on to college? How much would I regret that I did have surgery on my knee, instead of going through intensive rehab t-

"You're thinking too much again." Her voice cut across my thoughts. She always manages to do this, although I'm not sure she even knows the effect she has on me.

Sighing, I closed my eyes, taking in the scene of the gym one last time.

The smell of the rubber on the walls and the feeling I have when I stood on the court... It was truly inexplicable. I could almost hear Hyuuga telling me to hurry up, hear the squeaks of my teammates' shoes and the shrill of Riko's whistle.

I opened my eyes and turned towards Emiko, her eyes wide and observant.

I grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

I had stayed in the gym longer than I had expected, and as we stepped outside of the gym, the late afternoon rays of sunlight hit my eyes. I led Emiko towards my bike, motioned for her to get on after me, and I began pedaling.

I felt her arms tighten around my waist and her face nuzzled my back. She doesn't know it, but she makes me feel safe, like the feeling of home.

Today, I took her to the park that was adjacent to the basketball court that the boys and I liked to play at, whenever there wasn't any practice. I gently set the bike down on the grass, and I pulled her down to sit with me. Together, we stared at the setting sun.

"Why are we here?" she asked. Usually, I was the talkative one, but she could sense that I was in a pensive mood.

"It's nice and quiet here," she nodded as if she understood my answer, and angled her profile towards the sun, letting it hit her hazel eyes.

She has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. I tried telling her that once, but she slapped me away because it was so cliche. I'm not going to deny it, however.

"Are you okay, Teppei?" she asked.

"I'm just going to miss you and everyone else after graduation," I admitted.

"I'll still be seeing you, although not as often. After all, we're both going to America aren't we?" She turned and looked at me, her eyes bright as usual.

"Don't tell me you're in love with Hyuuga, and you're going to miss him!" Emiko said, breaking the solemn mood with her cheerful laughter.

I let myself pout at her statement and proceeded to hush her. "You can't tell Hyuuga that! He'll never let me have the end of it." I leaned down and let our noses touch, lowering my voice so that only she could hear me. "After all, you're the one I'm in love with."

Surprised, Emiko jerked forward, hitting her forehead against mine and we both let out a simultaneous "Ow!"

"Teppei! Do you know what you're even saying?" She chuckled, as she rubbed her forehead against her palm, blushing.

I took her hand from her head and landed a kiss on the place where we had hit each other.

"Of course I do."

I slightly smirked as I saw her blush furiously and attempt to cover it up by flicking her long black hair across her face.

To change the topic, I saw her reach for her book bag, taking out a large mason jar filled with tiny origami foldings within them.

"What's this?" I asked, glancing at the jar in her grasp curiously.

"When I came to Japan, I didn't expect anything great to happen. I was just going to finish a year of school here and leave. So, my mother, being the optimistic woman that she is, gave me this jar and some origami paper to write and fold some memories that I made here."

She paused, examining the jar, and her eyes lit up almost in surprise at how many positive memories she had made in Japan. "I wasn't intending to use it, but look at what happened."

Emiko shook the jar, scattering the multi-colored origami folds. "I wanted to read some of my favorite memories with us together before the post-graduation party, but since you're in a pensive mood..."

She opened the jar with a satisfying pop and reached in to grab a folded piece of paper.

"I actually color-coded them, mind you. Red is for memories with you, blue is for ones with my girl friends and Riko, yellow is with the basketball team, and the other pastel colors are just for when I was having a good day or aced my test," Emiko explained, her hand swirling and mixing the papers before she picked one.

"Can we read the yellow ones, then pastel ones, and finally the red ones?" I suggested.

"Are you not interested in my memories with my girlfriends? How dare you!" she mocked me, throwing a yellow star at my forehead. I swiftly caught it and opened the paper, revealing her neat kanji script.

"Watermelon eating contest with Seirin. Of course, Kagami-kun won," I chuckled at the memory of that one spring day when Koganei had stumbled upon a box of watermelons abandoned in front of his house and brought the entire load to practice. After practice, everyone thought that it would be a great idea to have a watermelon eating contest to get rid of the fruit.

"I'm hoping that Ryuki will beat Kagami one day," Emiko joked, as she laid back and searched for another yellow piece of paper.

I laid down beside her, snuggling her small form against mine and joined in her laughter as we read the many memories we had shared with Seirin. After awhile, I no longer felt the gnawing feeling of regret that I didn't play with them this year. I was only reminded of positive memories.

When we finished reading all the yellow and pastel pieces, Emiko fished out a red note. "Well, what do we have here?"

I read the small kanji written on it for her. "Kiyoshi Teppei walking me to the convenience store. He likes books and he was the first boy here to make me laugh, besides Ryuki."

I looked down at the hazel eyes staring up at me. "Cute."

She only managed a dry chuckle at my comment. "Next one: Kiyoshi Teppei tutored me in math after he saw me almost kill a vending machine. We talked, and he is SUCH a gentleman it pisses me off."

Emiko turned her head up at me again. "Yep, this one fits the context of our relationship a whole lot better."

I landed a soft peck on her lips and said, "It can only get cheesier from here."

I reached in and grabbed the next red note, "Kiyoshi Teppei biked me home, and it felt like I was going on an adventure when the wind made my hair flow."

"Did I forget to mention that they're not necessarily cheesy?" She smirked, as she opened another piece. "We talked on the phone all night and all day, and I fell asleep to his calm voice. I think I like him and his laugh. I like his laugh a lot."

"Kiyoshi Teppei played footsie with me, asked me out, and fed me a fry at Maji Burger. What is happening?!" I laughed at her use of punctuation and how shaky this note looked compared to the other ones.

The next one was even better: "I was almost late to our first date, but he played with my hair anyways and kept staring at me. I couldn't tell whether my heart was beating fast because of the adrenaline or because of the way he was looking at me."

I took this opportunity to squeeze her sides as she glared at me for reading that one, which she obviously was embarrassed of. Emiko let out a small squeak as I pinched at one of her ticklish spots and yanked the note out of my fingers. "You're a bully."

"It must be the way I'm looking at you," I responded, smirking widely.

"Shut up! Just finish reading them, I already know what's in them." She rolled away from my embrace and sat up. Always the tsundere. She was probably just heating up because she was flustered.

To my surprise, the next note I opened was blank, and I handed it to Emiko. She muttered something about probably accidentally putting it in. I reached in and pulled out the final red note.

It said, "I kissed Kiyoshi Teppei in the boys' locker room, and he asked me to be his girlfriend."

I closed it and looked at her. "Is this all? We've been dating for six months now and you only have six notes?"

She scooted across the grass to bring herself closer to me and tugged me into a tight embrace. "I haven't had time to put in any of our dates, but I've written them down." She leaned in and kissed the stubble that was growing on my cheeks.

"You forgot this one though," Emiko smiled as she threw me a red crinkled note.

"Kiyoshi Teppei said that he loves me. I, Kita Emiko, said that I love him." A smile began to creep onto me as I leaned forward to kiss her on the lips.

She stopped me before I could do so, and whispered, "Kiyoshi Teppei, I love you."

* * *

 _A/N: And here is the final chapter of Seven Moments! Thank you so much for following, reviewing, and reading thus far. I hold no promises, but if I have the time and inspiration (after my trip out of the country) I will write small scenarios between Teppei and Emiko in coming chapters. This fic, however, will be marked completed as of today! If you like my work, stay tuned and follow me for future KnB x Reader fics that I will end up doing (with the babe Kiyoshi) and if you have a tumblr, follow me magiicked :-)_


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